Freshman PKs at a Christian College: A Qualitative Study
Type of Submission
Poster
Keywords
Pastor, PK, qualitative, freshman
Abstract
Children of pastors are commonly stereotyped in one of two different ways: either they are seen as the model child, or as the prodigal. The model child is perceived as sheltered and naïve, with high expectations placed on them. In contrast the rebel is perhaps the more common stereotype, where children of pastors are seen as having negative feelings toward their father's position, and living their life in reaction to their parents' faith. The purpose of this study was to determine if either of these stereotypes, or other unifying factors, were present and continuing into their college years. We interviewed 23 college students at Cedarville University whose fathers were full-time pastors of evangelical churches. While in some aspects these students are much like their non-PK peers, themes of being stereotyped, viewing their fathers as spiritual authority figures, and finding identity in their father's calling emerged.
Faculty Sponsor or Advisor’s Name
Dr. Ruth Markham
Campus Venue
Stevens Student Center
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-1-2015 11:00 AM
End Date
4-1-2015 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Freshman PKs at a Christian College: A Qualitative Study
Cedarville, OH
Children of pastors are commonly stereotyped in one of two different ways: either they are seen as the model child, or as the prodigal. The model child is perceived as sheltered and naïve, with high expectations placed on them. In contrast the rebel is perhaps the more common stereotype, where children of pastors are seen as having negative feelings toward their father's position, and living their life in reaction to their parents' faith. The purpose of this study was to determine if either of these stereotypes, or other unifying factors, were present and continuing into their college years. We interviewed 23 college students at Cedarville University whose fathers were full-time pastors of evangelical churches. While in some aspects these students are much like their non-PK peers, themes of being stereotyped, viewing their fathers as spiritual authority figures, and finding identity in their father's calling emerged.
